Plants Transport

Xylem - Phloem

Transport in the xylem of plants

Understandings:
Transpiration is the inevitable consequence of gas exchange in the leaf.
Plants transport water from the roots to the leaves to replace losses from
transpiration.
The cohesive property of water and the structure of the xylem vessels allow
transport under tension.
The adhesive property of water and evaporation generate tension forces in
leaf cell walls.
Active uptake of mineral ions in the roots causes absorption of water by
osmosis.
Applications and skills:
Application: Adaptations of plants in deserts and in saline soils for water
conservation.
Application: Models of water transport in xylem using simple apparatus
including blotting or filter paper, porous pots and capillary tubing.
Skill: Drawing the structure of primary xylem vessels in sections of stems
based on microscope images.
Skill: Measurement of transpiration rates using potometers. (Practical 7)
Skill: Design of an experiment to test hypotheses about the effect of
temperature or humidity on transpiration rates.

Transport in the phloem of plants

Understandings:
Plants transport organic compounds from sources to sinks.
Incompressibility of water allows transport along hydrostatic pressure
gradients.
Active transport is used to load organic compounds into phloem sieve
tubes at the source.
High concentrations of solutes in the phloem at the source lead to water
uptake by osmosis.
Raised hydrostatic pressure causes the contents of the phloem to flow
towards sinks.
Applications and skills:
Application: Structurefunction relationships of phloem sieve tubes.
Skill: Identification of xylem and phloem in microscope images of stem
and root.
Skill: Analysis of data from experiments measuring phloem transport rates
using aphid stylets and radioactively-labelled carbon dioxide

Kingdom Plantae
All organisms in Kingdom Plantae have the
following characteristics:
Multicellular
Eukaryotic
Photosynthetic autotrophs
Almost all terrestrial

Classification
Plants are divided into divisions (instead of
phyla) based on evolutionary
characteristics:
Bryophyta mosses and liverworts
Filicinophyta ferns
Coniferophyta cone plants
Angiospermatophyta flowering plants

Plant Diversity

Bryophytes
non-vascular
land plants

Pteridophytes
seedless
vascular plants

Gymnosperms
pollen &
naked seeds
conifers

mosses

Angiosperms
flowers & fruit

flowering plants
flowers

ferns
pollen & seeds

vascular system = water conduction

Tracheophytes
colonization of land
Ancestral Protist

xylem cells = tracheids

Vascular Plants
Vascular plants evolved as a means to
obtain all required resources
Vascular tissue allows plants to
transport resources between distant
organs:
Xylem conducts water and dissolved
nutrients up
Soil and roots provide minerals and
water
Phloem transports sugar up and down
Above ground provides light for leaves
and photosynthesis

Plant Morphology
Terrestrial plants are broken down into two
primary systems,
Underground root system absorb water and
nutrients from the soil
Aerial shoot system produce sugar via
photosynthesis
Roots and shoots are connected via vascular
tissue xylem and phloem

Plant tissues

Dermal
skin of plant
single layer of
tightly packed cells
that covers &
protects plant
Vascular
transport materials
between roots &
shoots
xylem & phloem
Ground
everything else:
storage,
photosynthetic
bulk of plant tissue

Transport in Angiospermophytes

H2O & minerals

transport in xylem
transpiration
evaporation, adhesion & cohesion
negative pressure
Sugars
transport in phloem
bulk flow
Calvin cycle in leaves loads sucrose
into phloem
positive pressure
Gas exchange
photosynthesis
CO2 in; O2 out
stomates
respiration
O2 in; CO2 out
roots exchange gases within air
spaces in soil

Minerals in the Soil

Minerals must be able to move through

the soil to the roots of plants to be
absorbed - how do they do this?
1. Diffusion 2. Fungal hyphae 3. Dissolved in soil water -

Much of the absorption of water and

minerals occurs near root tips, where
the epidermis is permeable to water and
where root hairs are located
Mineral
ions
are taken
in
the
root
hairs by
active
transport

Mineral Uptake
Minerals are absorbed by the plant via
active transport
Minerals include potassium, phosphate,
nitrates and other ions
The concentration of ions is higher inside the
root cell than in the surrounding soil
Move against the concentration gradient
Allows for selective absorption of minerals by
plants

Cortex cells absorb mineral ions that are

dissolved in water
From cortex, minerals dissolved in water
travel through the endodermis and into
the vascular cylinder.

EXTRACELLULAR FLUID

CYTOPLASM

ATP

H+
H+
H+
H+

H+

H+

H+
H+

Proton pump generates

membrane potential
and H+ gradient.

Mineral Uptake

Symbiotic
relationship
between
fungi &
Mycorrhizae
increase
absorption
plant
symbiotic fungi greatly increases surface
area for absorption of water & minerals
increases volume of soil reached by plant
increases transport to host plant

Vascular Tissue - Xylem

Xylem water and mineral conducting
tissue
At maturity, cells are dead and lack
plasma membranes so water flows
through freely
End walls break down forming long tubes
Pores in side walls allow water movement
between adjacent cells

Vascular Tissue - Xylem

Composed of tracheids and/or vessel
elements
Tracheids:
Narrow cells arranged in columns
Overlapping ends help with support and water
movement

Vessel Elements:
Cell wall arranged in a helical pattern that
enable walls to withstand pressure and stretch
as other living cells grow
Wide diameter allows for efficient water
transport
Only found in angiosperms

Vascular Tissue - Xylem

Vascular Tissue - Xylem

Vascular Tissue - Phloem

Phloem sugar and amino acid
conducting tissue
Formed from long chains of sieve-tube
members
Alive a maturity (however they lack nuclei and
ribosomes)
End walls (sieve plates) have pores that allow
for flow of sugar between cells
Each sieve tube cell has an adjacent
companion cell that helps serve sieve tube
member

Vascular Tissue - Phloem

Transpiration
Transpiration - the
loss of water vapor
from the leaves and
stems through
evaporation
Plants are adapted to
limit water loss
how?

Transpiration

Transpiration Stream

Transpiration stream - transpiration

creates a flow of water from the roots,
through the stems, to the leaves
Movement of water through plants
depends on the cohesion and
adhesion of water molecules - what are
these properties?

Water forms a column due to hydrogen

bonding

Transpiration Stream
Steps in water movement:
1. Water evaporates from spongy
mesophyll in leaf tissue (transpiration)
2. Water is replaced with water from xylem
tissue in leaf veins

Water moves into leaf tissue via capillary

action

3. When water is pulled out of xylem,

suction develops, and more water is
pulled up from roots and stem
transpiration pull

Like using a straw to suck up liquid

Transpiration Stream

Regulation of Transpiration
Water evaporates out of the leaf tissue through
the stomata (transpiration)
Guard cells control transpiration by opening and
closing the stomata
Generally, guard cells open stomata during the
day and close them at night - why?

Regulation of Transpiration

Changes in turgor pressure in the guard

cells open and close the stomata:
1. Guard cells actively uptake potassium ions
(K+) and increase solute concentration
2. Water enters the guard cells by osmosis to
balance solute concentration and cells
become turgid.
Turgid guard cell = open stomata
3. Reverse process makes guard cells flaccid
and closes stomata
Flaccid guard cell = closed stomata

Regulation of Transpiration

Regulation of Transpiration

Regulation of Transpiration
Environmental factors and stressors can
also affect transpiration and opening and
closing of the stomata:
When plants are water deficient, cells may
lose turgor and stomata close - why
important?
Abscisic acid, a plant hormone, signals
stomata to close during water deficiencies,
even if light and carbon dioxide levels are low

Factors Affecting Transpiration

Factors affecting transpiration:
1. Light guard cells close in darkness,
open in light why?

Increased transpiration during day

2. Temperature higher temperatures

increase transpiration

Also decrease outside humidity thus

increase diffusion out water out of leaf

Factors Affecting Transpiration

Factors affecting transpiration:
3. Humidity lower humidity increases
transpiration why?
4. Wind air movement moves air
saturated with water vapor away from
stomata thereby increasing
transpiration

Xerophytes

Plants adapted to
grow in very dry
environments
Have evolved
different adaptations
to help reduce
transpiration - why?

Xerophytes
Adaptations of Xerophytes:
Spines instead of leaves
why?
Thick stems with water
storage tissue
Thick, waxy cuticle
Vertical stems instead of
lateral reaching branches
why?
Wide-spreading network
of shallow roots why?

Adaptation

How it works

Example

thick cuticle

stops uncontrolled
evaporation through
leaf cells

small leaf
surface area

less surface area for

evaporation

low stomata
density

smaller surface area

for diffusion

sunken stomata

maintains humid air

around stomata

marram grass,
cacti

stomatal hairs
(trichores)

maintains humid air

around stomata

marram grass,
couch grass

rolled leaves

maintains humid air

around stomata

marram grass,

extensive roots

maximise water
uptake

cacti

conifer needles,
cactus spines

Translocation
Translocation movement of
substances from one area in a plant to
another
Moves sugars and amino acids from
source areas (photosynthetic tissue and
storage organs) to sinks (fruist, seeds,
and roots)
Active process that occurs in phloem

Translocation
How Translocation Works:
Plasma membranes in sieve tube
members pump organic compounds into
cell via active transport
Creates high solute concentration inside
sieve tube member
Therefore, water diffuses into sieve tube via
osmosis - forms sap (sugars dissolved in
water)
Creates pressure inside sieve tube and
pushes sap throughout plant

Translocation

Translocation
1. Sugar loading in sieve tube raises solute
concentration and draws in water
2. Water influx increases pressure forcing
flow of sap
3. Sugar unloading lowers solute
concentration, water effluxes and
pressure decreases
4. Water pulled back up via transpiration
stream

Translocation